Ice Queen
by dem bones
Summary: Hermione gets a life threatening injury and Harry knows who did it. With help from Daphne Greengrass will he be able to get his revenge? *Completed*...for now though I will be adding content to this at a later time.


Title: Ice Queen

Author: dem bones

Genres: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Harry/Daphne

Summary: When Hermione gets a life threatening injury and Harry knows who did it? With help from Daphne Greengrass will he be able to get his revenge?

Warnings: Mentioned Character Death.

A/N: Written for the second round of the finals for the QLFC. Prompts used: sparing, "Being a genius means that when something surprises you, it'll crush you utterly because you thought you knew everything there was to know." and examine.

HPDG

After a long drawn out afternoon of practising dueling spells, Harry Potter settled down in the common room eager to play another game of wizarding chess with his friend, Ron Weasley.

"So where's Hermione now?" Harry asked.

"Oh she's practising spells in the library."

"I'm amazed you didn't accompany her."

"She insisted on doing it alone. Probably needs her space."

"Well, I don't blame you for wanting to keep her company. I mean after Ginny died and everything."

"Don't."

Ron could remember it vividly in his mind. He had examined the suicide note among her belongings. According to the mediwizard she had ingested a toxic potion that had ruptured her stomach lining and caused her to bleed internally. He had said that likely she had ingested an untracable poison.

"Someone did this to her, I know they did," He snarled.

He had been quite unreasonable before Hermione had managed to calm him down.

"Often times the victim's family might go through stages of denial before being able to cope with the person's death."

Ron looked murderous.

"It isn't denial why would she kill herself? She had everything to live for."

"Probably because she had everything to live for," Hermione offered.

Ron sighed in defeat.

"You're probably right maybe I'm overthinking it."

At around dinner time, Ron and Harry had gone to eat. It was while they were eating that an owl had swooped down dropping a piece of parchment at Ron's plate.

"Who's it from?"

"Probably my mum. You know she's always in the habit of writing me."

Ron opened the letter, his skimming through the words.

Harry saw his eyes bulge wide open and his skin turn a deadly pale.

"What is it?"

"Hermione's in the hospital wing."

"What."

Ron abandoned his food and Harry immediately accompanied him as they both headed to the hospital wing.

Upon arriving in the hospital wing, Harry glanced at Hermione's pale body fascinated by the green tinge in her face.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ron asked.

"Lucky we managed to find her in time," Madam Pomfrey said.

"What do you mean?"

"She was beaten up pretty badly."

"Why's her face green?" Harry asked curiously.

"She's lost a lot of blood."

"From internal bleeding?"

"Yes, her stomach was bleeding. Whoever did this to her obviously had quite a vendetta against her."

"Well, I hope you'll keep a good eye on her," Ron said. "Since we don't know who's doing this. She'll be able to recover here."

"Mr Weasley, it'll be alright."

"I sure hope so." Ron said before leaving.

Once they were out Harry turned towards Ron.

"Do you know for certain whether or not Hermione has any enemies? The only person who I think would have a personal vendetta against her is Lavender," Harry said.

"Lavender? That's ridiculous. It goes against our houses' values. Even if she wanted to get back at her for stealing me away that's quite a nasty way of going about it. Only a bully would do something so cruel," Ron said. "What says cruel better than the Slytherin house. Snape always pairs Hermione with that Millicent girl. Maybe she's the one who put her in the hospital wing."

"No, if she did it I'm pretty certain everyone would have witnessed it. She's never been afraid to bring her down a peg or two. We know that they are alot of nasty kids in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff maybe Smith has something to do with it. He still hates Hermione after what she did with Marietta."

Ron brought his index finger to his chin.

"Well that's good enough answer for me," said Ron with a grin on his face.

HPDG

Throughout the week, Harry kept a lookout on Smith occasionally with people giving him strange looks. One day however he must have had a lot on his mind as he didn't see her until it was too late.

He recognised her instantly. It was none other than Daphne Greengrass. He could tell from her straight blonde hair, pretty face and icy blue eyes.

"Oh you-"

"Sorry," Harry said curtly as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Is that the only thing you have to say to me?"

"I don't have anything to say."

"Look I'm sorry that you think every single person in Slytherin house is bad but don't you think it's a little rude to skip out on a conversation."

"You want to have a conversation with me?" Harry asked in mock surprise.

"Of course I do get rather lonely."

"I'm amazed I would have thought you were very good friends with Parkinson and Bulstrode."

Daphne shrugged.

"I used to get teased alot and since noone is really afraid of Pansy I stick to her side. I still get called an Ice Queen occasionally but it's tolerable. I'm told it's because I seemed to glare at complete strangers with a look of ice. If you're not too busy perhaps you want to continue our conversation by the lake? I've heard the scenery does get to be rather beautiful."

"Certainly."

Daphne lead Harry to the tree by the lake outside Hogwarts.

She glanced to her side noticing Harry looking awfully quiet it was a lot different than how he typically was in potions in the previous years.

"Something on your mind?"

"What?" Harry looked up.

"You looked deep in thought."

Harry smirked.

"You don't expect me to defrost the ice queen do you?"

Daphne snorted.

"So you can be cute when you want to be," She murmured under her breath.

"It wasn't meant to be amusing."

Daphne looked up and saw his green eyes were cold.

"Don't worry though we have all night to discover what is," said Harry with a smile.

HPDG

The next time Harry ran into Daphne she was in the library. He saw Daphne intently working on her course work.

"Hey."

Daphne turned and saw Harry glancing at her paper. She had already written a fair amount on her essay for potions.

"You like smart girls don't you?"

Harry glanced at her.

"It's debatable really."

"I-I always thought I was the ice queen but you really have a way with discouraging a girl don't you?"

"It isn't discouragement I'm just otherwise occupied. I'm trying to find the people who beat up my friend."

"You mean Hermione Granger?" Daphne asked.

Harry nodded.

"I suspect Smith might have had something to do with it so I've been tracking him."

"You really think he did it?"

"There's no question about it. He's never been a particularly thoughtful person. I mean if he wants to kill her right, he should have finished the job. He shouldn't have put her in such unnecessary pain," Harry explained. "I have all the evidence I need and Ron says I should tell Professor Dumbledore and I wanted you to come with me."

"Thanks, I'm flattered. What time would you like me to meet you there?"

"Anytime after dinner," Harry said with a smile.

HPDG

After Daphne had left Harry's company, she walked towards the hospital wing only thinking about what she had stumbled upon earlier.

Open entering she creeped up to the hospital beds and headed to Hermione's side peering at her sadly and then turned to leave.

Once she had taken a step outside however her path had been broken through by a familiar voice.

"Stop right there."

Daphne whirled around, eyes widening in horror as she spotted Harry Potter in all his bane and glory glaring at her. She had yet to dispose of the empty vial in her hands she was in such a rush.

All she could think about was the plan that she had been a part of. She was sitting on one of the green couches in the Slytherin common room, eyeing Pansy with distaste, who was sitting on Draco's lap stroking his luxurious blond hair looking up at Pansy with a sly smirk on his face.

Just because her father had publically shammed hers, Pansy always felt the need to flaunt how much Draco belonged to her. Daphne had acquired feelings for Draco around her fourth year at Hogwarts and practically bragged to her sister how much she had wanted him. Pansy, the more charismatic of the three had asked Draco to the Yule Ball fourth year and they had dated ever since. Daphne knew it was only to make her jealous but still she inwardly seethed.

She was supposed to back off after Granger was sent to the hospital wing. Pansy had told her that Hermione had been in their way...that she was the obstacle to Draco's heart. Daphne from the beginning knew that Pansy was a threat but she had come to the conclusion that Hermione Granger was an even bigger threat. She was intelligent and no doubt someone that truly appealed to him. He had always talked about her with the dimmest envy.

So she had snuck up behind Granger and kicked her to the ground punching and kicking her until she was bleeding on the floor and then proceeded to punch her in the stomach.

It was practically two weeks before she ran into Harry Potter. From the first meeting, Daphne reckoned that she fancied him. He was so cool and collected given the situation of his friend.

With that attraction, Daphne had wanted to engage him in conversation but looking back on it now perhaps Harry had knew even then that she wasn't the ice queen she claimed to be. There was no defrosting ice that didn't exist. She wasn't emotionless, she didn't have a good reason for being so cruel and probably the most startling was the fact that she savoured every single bit of it and she had a feeling that a smart part of him might too.

"You caught me," said Daphne with a malicious smile. She held her hands up in mock guilt.

She saw Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey standing with him.

Suddenly there was the sound of Hermione having a seizure in the other room.

Immediately both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore ran into the room to tend to Hermione.

Harry however remained, glancing at Daphne indifferently.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

Harry smiled.

"Ginny's death. The mediwizard said she died from ingesting a poison and the suicide note was in your handwriting. I choose my words carefully. I mentioned there was evidence solely to lure you into getting rid of it."

"Then why did you go through the trouble in saying what you did about Granger?"

"To gauge your reaction."

Daphne chuckled.

"I think I may have underestimated you. I thought you were a bit dim-witted."

"Are you usually so blunt?"

"No," Daphne said. "If I was blunt I imagine you wouldn't like what I would like to say."

"That you don't regret a thing. I gathered as much," said Harry laughing coolly.

There was no mistaking his ice cold gaze.

"You would hate me over something like that?" Daphne asked scrutinzing him shrewdly. "She isn't dead is she?"

"She will be if you don't give me the antidote."

"You would do something like this for her?"

"You try to kill any of my friends and you're dead to me."

"Why even tell me this when you know I don't care. As far as you know you are wasting your breath."

Harry looked up.

"You're going to taunt me too?"

"Why would I do that when I like you?"

Harry snorted.

"Like me? Don't make me laugh."

Madam Pomfrey stepped in between them.

"Mr Potter, it seems that the inner lining in Ms. Granger's stomach is eroding. I've managed to give her the antidote but I can't risk giving her blood replenishing potions without negating the antidote's affect. She needs a blood transfusion. Do you happen to have type O blood?"

"No, I'm AB." Harry said.

"Mr Weasley should arrive at any second. Tell him to come in here will you?"

After the mediwitch left Harry heard Daphne murmur under her breath.

"I'm a type O."

"What's the point in telling me that?"

"I may have written the suicide note but I didn't kill your girlfriend. Malfoy did."

"What good is that to me when you were lying to me from the start?"

"The only thing I lied about was about my friendships with Parkinson and Bulstrode. In reality I am only friends with Bulstrode. Me and Pansy are not friends at all. Why do I stick around, solely because it makes it easier to get revenge. Look I like you and I'd hate to break off what we had, I have a feeling we could get along fairly well-"

"Do that for me and I might consider your request."

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

Daphne sighed.

"Alright."

Harry for the first time turned to actually glance at her. Her expression as always had been blank but though he had a hunch that her eyes were where her emotions were really hidden he hadn't expected those orbs to show such joy and emotion upon just one glance.

She was sly and manipulative with the ability to deceive even the most perceptive with the confidence she radiated. He supposed he could learn to like her ...but it wasn't very likely.

He was kept to his thoughts until he could come in. At that point he seen Daphne on a bed next to Hermione laying unconscious and for the first time Harry began to hope...one could say maybe his icy heart had begun to defrost.

It was weeks later after Daphne had given her blood to Hermione in the hospital wing when Harry had met up with the blonde at the tree by the lake.

"Thank you for what you did to Hermione. I know that likely you don't regret what you did."

"You're half way right except you are wrong about just one eensy teensy little detail. I do have regrets about Granger's injury...because of that I nearly lost you. I already made that error though so if you want you could totally try and defrost the two other ice queens in our house who've done equally malicious things and are actually hated for it."

Harry chuckled amused by the idea that Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy were being referred to as ice queens.

"You laughed," Daphne pointed out.

"I never did tell you what is the most important thing in a girl that I like?"

"What is that?"

"The ability to make me laugh. I assume that's the reason you were asking me all of those questions. Is that why you studied so hard?"

"You honestly don't know? I thought you were a genius?"

"It's because I'm a genius that I made such stupid conclusions.

Being a genius means that when something surprises you, it'll crush you utterly because you thought you knew everything there was to know," Harry explained. "I thought you killed Ginny."

"I would have nothing to gain from it. Now I only learn from it. You see I heard my sister talking about your girlfriend and how she was so smart and I wanted to earn your affection."

Looking at her now he was certain that she wasn't sparing her own feelings for his sake. He didn't quite know what to think of that picture.

"Perhaps some day you will." Harry smiled.

A/N: Since I'm been receiving reviews on this fic regarding the disturbing issues with Harry and Daphne's relationship I'm going to clarify several points.

1. This story is meant to be open ended meaning it's the readers' choice whether or not Harry will care for Daphne or not. As a reader you are meant to look at the hints and determine for yourself what really happens next. Everything that happened in this story was deliberate.


End file.
